


Ligature Scars

by AdventuresofGypsyandRenovski



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Airplane Sex, F/M, Kidnapping, Manipulation, Serial Killers, Stalking, dubcon, extreme dubcon, mentions of brutal murder, rape/non con
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2020-01-16 11:32:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18520624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdventuresofGypsyandRenovski/pseuds/AdventuresofGypsyandRenovski
Summary: Three years after escaping her obsessive neighbor, Ben Solo, Rey tries to make a new life and let go of the past. When Ben escapes the mental facility he’s being held in, she quickly learns that the past won’t let go of her. Sequel to ”Ligature Marks”.





	1. Don’t count me out, just cause I’m down

**Author's Note:**

> Here we are again! The next part to the story! I’m really excited to embark on this next story with you all! 
> 
> Thank you for Malevolent Reverie for reading and being an amazing beta and friend :) 
> 
>  
> 
> This story will have rape/non con and it will be much darker than the first. Rey’s grown up and Ben’s not happy about losing her.
> 
> Also - this is a sequel to ”Ligature Marks” so please read that first if you don't want to be spoiled.

The smell of pine. Old rustic cabins. Blue scarves. Next door neighbors. These things shouldn’t make the average person nervous, but they do to Rey. 

 

And she dreams about them, every night. About  _ him.  _ Ben Solo. The man that stole away her innocence, her teenage glee. 

 

Rey woke up with night sweats around 5AM and groaned into her pillow. Class didn’t start for another four hours. She was the type of person that once she woke up, that was it. 

 

She rolled off her bed and padded across her room to the window. As soon as the window was open, Rey breathed in the swampy South Carolina breeze. 

 

She walked over to her dresser and pulled out some workout clothes to go for a run. Leaving a note behind to her roommate, Rose Tico, she set off into a run. 

 

With music blaring through her earpods, Rey pumped her legs to the beat of her workout playlist. All of those painful memories dissipated with each step. Everything was better now. 

 

After finishing up her senior year, complete with night terrors and panic attacks, Rey moved with Rose to attend the College of Charleston. After everything that happened, moving to a huge city was not what they wanted.

 

They left one small town for a town full of history, complete with the best bars and obnoxious seersucker suits. Rey loved it. It was nothing like Lake Lure and it’s exactly what she wanted. 

 

Rose was still studying pre-med while Rey was pre-law. She wanted to use her past to help girls like her. To protect people from men like Benjamin Solo. 

 

Her parents moved away from Lake Lure as soon as she graduated. They settled in Cape Cod and sent her beautiful postcards every week. She still remembered her mother seething when they put Ben into a mental hospital, rather than the rotting jail cell he deserved. 

 

Rey ran harder as she thought back to how disgusting was to her. He took everything from her. With gritted teeth, she turned the corner and breathlessly ran faster, her thoughts racing.

 

She would never be normal now. She was always known as “the girl that survived the Lake Lure killer.” People wanted to have interviews, write books about her. All to get her story. Rey remained quiet. 

 

Rose kept her off of the true crime forums afraid she would find out about the fangirls. She knew all about them. They had no idea who the real Ben was behind his pretty face. 

 

Rey lost track of her footing and ran right into another runner, crashing to the ground. Her earpods were yanked from her ear from the fall.

 

“You okay?” a deep voice asked her. Rey shuddered involuntarily and picked herself up, purposely avoid the man’s hand, 

 

“Yeah, sorry about that. I was in my thoughts,” she said, dusting her leggings. She looked up to see a handsome man, her age, with a dark buzz cut. Suddenly the smell of pine filled her nose and she shook with dread. 

 

She clutched her headphones and ran away from him, back in the direction she came. Rey didn’t look behind her as she knew he was probably confused, but she didn’t care. 

 

Pine scented cologne shouldn’t make her nervous. But it does. 

  
  


——————————————————————

 

“How was your run?” Rose asked in between mouthfuls of oatmeal. Rey flipped her egg over in the pan and shrugged. 

 

“Alright, I guess. I ran into some guy and had a freak out. He probably thinks I’m crazy, but oh well.”

 

“Who cares? He should’ve been watching where he was going!”

 

Rey laughed and tossed her eggs onto a plate. She sat beside her roommate and ate in silence while the TV blared in the living room. They were lucky to snag the past rental house on KingStreet Street. She loved it and it’s bright purple paint on the outside. You could never lose it. 

 

“So, what’s the plan for this weekend?” Rose asked, flipping through her planner. 

 

“Uhm, well, I’ll probably be holed up in the library studying for an international law test. You?”

 

“I’ll study with you on Friday, but Finn and Poe are coming down!”

 

Their friends from Lake Lure went to Duke University. Finn and Rose were still dating and Finn recently confided in Rey that he was looking for rings. Rey beamed at the idea.

 

“Perfect! We can take them to some of the bars!” Now that they were 21, that’s all they wanted to do on the weekends when they weren’t drowning in homework. 

 

“Awesome, I’ll plan something then. Alright, I gotta get to class early today. Big test. I’ll see ya tonight?”

 

Rey nodded with her mouth full and watch Rose hurry out the door. She quickly finished her plate and tossed it in the sink before getting for her own class. 

 

The news droned on and on about the latest political scandal while she showered and got dressed. In a pair of jeans and a bright yellow blouse, Rey pulled her hair back into three buns and grabbed her bag. 

 

She texted her parents as soon as she was out the door. Three years later and they wanted a check in early in the morning and before she went to bed. Rey couldn’t blame them. 

 

On the way out the door, Rey almost stepped on a Manila envelope nestled on their porch. With furrowed brows, she picked it up, opened it slowly and dumped out the contents. 

 

A single blue Hermès scarf floated to the ground. 

  
  


——————————————————————-

 

“Leia, how long are you going to wait until you tell them! Dammit, it’s been a week now! They deserve to know!”

 

Leia sighed and shook her head sadly while Maz screamed at her on the phone. 

 

“This isn’t easy, Maz! Surely you understand that.”

 

“Easy? Easy! Of course, it’s not easy, Leia! Your son is missing! We still haven’t found him and do you remember the last thing he said to Rey’s mother?”

 

“Yes, I remember. We all fucking remember! Do you think he really cares anymore?”

 

The phone clicked and Leia winced. Maz had a point. With shaking hands, she scrolled through her contacts and landed on Daisy.

 

She almost half expected the woman to decline the call but Daisy picked up after two rings. 

 

“Hi, Daisy, it’s me.”

 

“I know.”

 

“How have you been?”

 

“What is it, Leia?”

 

“I don’t know if it’s on national news yet, but, I have to tell you something. It’s about Ben.”

 


	2. Boy, I’ve been down before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey finds more to the package sent to her and looks to find answers in the forums.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Malevolent Reverie for checking it over! Ya’ll she’s been spitting out some AMAZING content, you need to check it out!

”For the exam, you get one index card to put your notes on and that is all you can use.” 

 

The class groaned in annoyance as Dr. Albright droned on. Rey took notes with a shaky hand, stealing glances every now and then at the silky bright blue scarf nestled in her book bag. She shoved it in and practically ran to campus after finding it. 

 

Part of her wanted to burn it, but she wanted to show Rose first. When it came to her past, Rose always helped Rey keep a level head, from one paranoid panic attack to another. 

 

Class ended and she shoved her Business Law notebook into her bag and hustled out of the classroom. She was meeting Rose for lunch in the quad. 

 

After grabbing a salad from her favorite vendor, Rey picked a table in the middle. It was a gorgeous fall day and she knew that Rose would prefer being outside. 

 

“Hey girl! How was biz law?” Rose asked as she approached with a burrito. 

 

“Great. Test next week on contracts. Can’t wait!”

 

Rose laughed and they began talking about their classes and what they wanted to do with Finn and Poe on Saturday. 

 

“We could take them to that old bourbon bar,” Rey suggested. “Then get cupcakes at that late night dessert place!”

 

“Oh, that would be fun! I was thinking of doing a ghost tour!”

 

“What? Why?”

 

“I mean we haven’t done it yet since we moved here! It’s been on our list. How funny would it be if we got drunk and went on a ghost tour?”

 

Rey scrunched her nose in disapproval. Not her idea of a fun night. But for Rose, she agreed. She opened her bag to show Rose the scarf when their neighbor, Mallory, showed up at the table.

 

“Hey ladies! The Kappa Delta girls are having a Halloween party next month! I wanted to personally invite you guys! Should be a blast.”

 

Rose took the flier from their neighbor and forced a smile. 

 

“I don’t know. We’ve never been into the whole sorority toga party thing, Mal.”

 

“Then you’re missing out! You only have this year and next and then we’re all outta here!”

 

“And then law and med school.” Rose pointed at both her and Rey. Mallory rolled her eyes and started to leave when she suddenly yanked something out of Rey’s bag.

 

The blue scarf shimmered in the sun like a bad omen and Rose almost spit out her drink.

 

“Who knew that Rey Niima had style? I haven’t seen you in Hermès before!”

 

Rey snatched the scarf and quickly shoved it back into her bag with a glare.

 

“It’s not mine. It’s… my cousins. I’m mailing it back to her,” she lied with a stiff tone. Mallory shrugged and waved the girls off, leaving Rose staring in shock at her friend.

 

“Rey, do you want to tell me why the fuck you have Ben Solo’s  _ murder weapon _ in your bag?”

 

“Shh! Don’t talk so loud! It was mailed to me. I wanted to talk to you about it, but nosy Mal beat me to the punch. It was in this envelope on the porch. Did you see it when you left this morning?” she replied shakily.

 

Rose took the envelope and peeked inside. She reached a hand in and pulled out a ratty piece of paper.

 

“Nope, didn’t see it, but you must’ve missed the love note that came with it.” 

 

Rose held out the paper to Rey like it was something dirty. Rey took it timidly and turned it around before opening. 

 

“No address or anything. Just your name. Weird.” She could hear her friend in the background musing over the mystery package. 

 

Rey looked at the note and shivered.

 

**_Hello Little Dove_ **

 

**_-KR_ **

 

—————————————————————-

 

“Who the fuck is KR?” Rose asked as they walked back towards the house. Rey shrugged and hugged herself. 

 

“Hmmm, I know! It’s probably some weird forum nerd that is obsessed with the case! That has to be it! I’ll check the forums tonight and see what I can find.”

 

“How did they get our address, Rose? It’s really creepy. I don’t like knowing that some freak has access to me like that. That’s so cruel. To send me something like that.”

 

“We’ll get to the bottom of it. Maybe we should call the police? Or tell your parents?”

 

Rey stopped in her steps and shook her head quickly.

 

“No! No, I can’t tell them. Rose, if they found out that someone was fucking with me, they’d yank me out of school so fast. It was hard enough for them let me go.”

 

Rose threw her hands up in defeat as they approached the house. 

 

“Alright. We’ll do it your way. One more creepy note though and I’m gonna sing like a canary, got it?!”

 

Rey nodded and followed her friend inside. 

 

———————————————————-

 

That night, Rey was curled up on the couch in her pajamas, pouring over her business law notes. She had a few days until the weekend and she wanted to study as much as possible before the boys came in town. 

 

She was so excited to see them. Nothing was better than the good familiarity of her past, not the bad. She smiled to herself remembering the time they all snuck champagne at one of Leia’s lavish parties. 

 

The thought of Leia made her sick, however. After Ben was captured by the police, Leia paid as much money as she could to keep him in a mental facility, instead of jail. Her parents never talked to that family again, betrayed by the fact that a mother would defend her son even after all of the heinous crimes he committed. 

 

Rey texted her parents to let them know she was fine and she put down her books. Pulling her laptop into her lap, she typed in the website for the true crime forums. 

 

Logging in, with a fake name that Rose didn’t know, Rey began browsing the “Lake Lure Killer” threads. She searched for “KR” in hopes of finding the creep that sent her the scarf. Whoever it was had money. She knew those things were expensive. 

 

With no luck on that specific name, she mindlessly browsed for hours, looking at all of the theories and “reasons why” Ben did what he did. Some of the responses made her want to puke.

 

_ He just loved her. The things we do for love… _

 

_ Rey was hot in that news photo, hell, I’d kidnap and fuck her too. _

 

_ Poor Ben, he got seduced and swindled by a bratty teenager. _

 

Rey slammed the laptop shut and wiped the tears she didn’t realize were falling. How could these people say things they didn’t even understand? 

 

She walked to the kitchen to get a drink of water to calm her down, but grabbed a glass of wine instead. As she sipped from the glass, she peered out the window into the backyard. 

 

Rey didn’t want to admit it but, the thought of Ben escaping did cross her mind. All afternoon in her bedroom, she had scrolled through all of the major news networks, even the  _ Lake Lure Gazette,  _ and found nothing. 

 

This was silly. He was sedated and confined for the rest of his life. This was just some asshole who thought it would be funny to fuck with her!

 

She finished her drink and went upstairs to head to sleep. All Rey wanted to worry about was tests, homework and how much fun she and her friends would have this weekend. But she couldn’t deny that as always, Ben was still in the back of her mind. 

 

——————————————————————-

 

In Cape Cod, at a rustic dinner table, Daisy and her husband sat white-knuckled, just staring at the old wooden surface. 

 

“So, do we tell the police in Charleston?” Daisy whispered.

 

“Maz said she’s handling that.”

 

“Do we go get Rey out of school?”

 

Her husband shook his head, examining his hands. “We can’t do that, Daisy. Rey has to live a somewhat normal life after what happened.”

 

“I don’t know what to do. Should we at least tell her?”

 

“Let’s give it a few days. They’ll catch him by this weekend, I bet. He gave himself away when he had her and he’ll probably give himself away now.”

 

Daisy wrung her hands and took a shaky breath. She didn’t like the sound of this at all. She worried for her daughter. Ben’s last words to her stayed with her each and every day. Did he mean it after three years? 

 

She remembered that look in Ben’s eyes and she knew: he meant every word. 


	3. Fate has a way of playing games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and friends go to a haunted house tour and she meets a ghost from her past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Malevolent Reverie for being a wonderful beta. This time last year, I was still too timid to write the type of content that I wanted to read and she gave me the inspiration and push to follow my gut and just do it :)

The next few days went by quietly as the girls were in their usual routine of class and studying. Friday night was their usual study hall in the library.

 

Rey booked one of the conference rooms so that she could write her notes out on the whiteboard.  Rose was buried in her biochem book with her headphones in.

 

Rey poked her roommate and pointed at the headphones. Rose pulled them off.

 

“I’m going to the third floor to grab a coffee. Want anything?”

 

“Nah, but thanks,” Rose said as she replaced the headphones back on her ears. Rey shrugged and grabbed her wallet.

 

After ordering her usual latte, she browsed the newspaper rack while waiting for her coffee. She skimmed the _Wall Street Journal_ and _New York Times_ in search for a local newspaper.

 

Pulling out the _The Post and Courier_ , the daily newspaper, her eyes were drawn to a headline.

 

**NC MENTAL HOSPITAL PATIENT ESCAPED. SAID TO BE ARMED AND DANGEROUS.**

 

Rey’s heart skipped as she immediately flipped to the page.

 

“Rey?!” a voice shouted, startling her. She turned to see a college freshmen holding her coffee out in annoyance. She smiled weakly and brought the newspaper with it.

 

“T-thanks. Sorry. Uhm, how much for this paper?”

 

“A buck fifty.”

 

Rey hustled the coins from her wallet and left them clanking on the counter as she practically ran back to the conference room. Rose was singing out loud to a Kacey Musgraves song when the door burst open.

 

“Jesus Christ, Rey! You almost gave me a heart attack! What did they put in that coffee?”

 

“L-look at this!” Rey said as she thrust the paper into Rose’s face. Rose snatched it away and held it open, her eyes widening as they scanned the page.

 

“Did you read?”

 

“No, I didn’t get to yet. Please tell me it doesn’t say Ben Solo.”

 

“It doesn’t say a name. Which is stupid. It says a male, dark hair, brown eyes, 6’2’. More details about the escaped patient will be released as they are confirmed. Please consider the man extremely dangerous and possibly armed.”

 

“Great. They’ve detailed a percentage of the entire male population.”

 

“Yeah, whoever this editor is, they need to be fired.”

 

Rey tapped against her coffee cup and chewed on her lip. Forget studying now. She wasn’t going to be able to focus.

 

“Rey, I’m sure it’s not Ben. Maz would have called you by now, right?”

 

“Not unless she didn’t want to admit her mistake! My mom was right. They didn’t care about locking him up. All of that money they paid,” she hissed in reply. Rose shrugged and closed her notes.

 

“Maybe talk with your parents. They would most definitely know. I’m sure Daisy has his name bookmarked on Google.”

 

Rey nodded slowly and looked back at her notes.

 

“So I guess it’s time to go home, huh?”

 

Rose agreed and they packed their things and headed home early. The ride home was silent as Rey tried to push the thought from her mind. Rose made her throw away the article so she wouldn’t obsess over it.

 

Just as they got home and walked up the porch stairs, a manila envelope caught Rey’s eye. She tentatively picked it up while Rose unlocked the door.

 

Once inside, she tossed the envelope on the kitchen counter.

 

“You gonna open it?”

 

“Should I?”

 

Rey ripped it open and pulled out another blue scarf. Rose cut it up with scissors while Rey read the note aloud.

 

**Oh, how I’ve missed you, Rey.**

 

**-KR**

 

Rey lit the note on fire and threw it into the trash with disgust.

 

——————————————————————

  


Rose and Rey sat on the porch swing on that Saturday morning, waiting for Finn and Poe to arrive. Rey sipped her coffee and scrolled through her phone.

 

“You know what would be fun before the ghost tour?”

 

“I still can’t believe we are doing this dumb ghost tour.”

 

“Whatever. You’ll love it. It’ll help your forget about everything! Anyway, let’s go to that rooftop bar down the street! It’s going to be gorgeous tonight.”

 

Rey nodded in agreement and texted her parents ‘good morning’.

 

“Have you told them yet?”

 

“No. I don’t want to worry them. Maybe you’re right. I’m probably just being crazy. Maz would’ve told me by now.”

 

“Exactly!”

 

The boys showed up an hour later and they all sat on the porch talking about their year and classes and everything going on. Rose and Finn snuck off to her bedroom and Rey left Poe watching some sports game that she didn’t care about.

 

While waiting for her straightener to heat up, she searched for similar news reports. All the same, none giving any further details. Whoever it was, they hadn’t been caught yet.

 

What made her nervous was that he escaped earlier in the week. She started receiving those weird envelopes this week. Could it be a coincidence? Rey would do anything to never seen Ben Solo’s face again.

 

He completely ruined her. Rey was scared to be with any man now for fear of being taken advantage of like he did.

 

She barely wanted to masturbate anymore because when she got close to her release, Ben’s voice was there coaxing her the rest of the way. It made her sick how he controlled her in such away, even being locked up.

 

She flat ironed her hair and threw on an all black jumpsuit with hoop earrings and boots before running down the stairs to meet the others.

 

“Whoa, somebody is ready to party!” Poe teased. Rey shoved him and rolled her eyes.

 

“Are you going to be okay walking in those shoes for the ghost tour?”

 

“These are the most comfortable pair I have! Shall we?”

 

The group of friends drove off to their first stop at the bar. The rooftop bar was a frequent crawl for all of the College of Charleston students. It was literally crawling with frat boys in boat shoes and polos, trying to woo the ladies with their trust fund.

 

Rey gladly let one of the frat boys buy her a couple drinks before letting him down easy to dance with Rose. Poe and Finn joined in until it was time for them to meet up for the ghost tour.

 

“So, do you think this will actually be scary?” Rey asked with crossed arms in front of an old, rustic plantation.

 

“Nah, these things are bogus. They are just gonna tell us freaky stories while we walk around a dark plantation. I did one of these when I visited my aunt in Louisiana a couple years ago.”

 

Rey sighed as the guide began his show of trying to creep out his audience with random creepy facts about the plantation.

 

As they walked through the premises, Rey found herself admiring the architecture and decor rather than listening to the fake spooky stories.

 

While they were in the hallway, listening to a story about how the lady of the house gruesomely fell to her death over the stairwell, Rey hung back and looked at some of the painting.

 

Suddenly, a piano started playing downstairs. Rey looked to the crowd in front of her to see them all engrossed in the dramatic story. Even Rose, Finn and Poe were all ears. The song sounded familiar.

 

Rey looked to see if the host would notice before walking back down the stairs. She made careful moves to not let her boots clamp down the wooden floor and make a ton of noise. Her stomach was in knots.

 

She approached the parlor they were in fifteen minutes ago to see that the piano wasn’t playing, but a phone was playing music.

 

She laughed to herself at being scared. Rey approached the phone on the piano bench and a chill went down her spine. The smell of pine was everywhere.

 

The phone was playing “Wonderland” by Taylor Swift, a ringtone she had on her phone when she was seventeen. Right before she was kidnapped by Ben.

 

Her throat closed up as she grabbed the phone and threw it down on the ground and stomped on the screen with her heel. Hard.

 

She kicked the broken device to the far wall and turned around to join her friends when large hands gripped her upper arms.

 

Rey’s eyes shot up to a tall man in a black sweatshirt, hood over most of his face. She didn’t have time to scream as he shoved her up against the wall, knocking the breath out of her.

 

A hand immediately went to her mouth to stop her from screaming and his hips pressed against her to pin her to the wall.

 

Rey whimpered as the all too familiar scent of Ben Solo invaded her senses.

 

“Shh, shh. We don’t want to cause a commotion now, sweetheart,” sang Ben.

 

Tears brimmed her eyes and her heart threatened to beat out of her chest. The traumas of her past rushed through her mind like running water.

 

“I see you didn’t like the song I played for you. My girl has gotten quite aggressive over the years.”

 

This was most definitely Ben. She couldn’t tell because of the hood, but his voice, the way he held her against the wall, Rey _knew_ that it was him.

 

“I’m going to remove my hand, and we’re just going to have a nice little talk, okay? No screaming, Rey.”

 

Scared to do anything else but agree, Rey nodded, tears running down her face. The attacker slowly removed his hand and stroked her cheek gently.

 

“What do you want, Ben? How did you escape?” she whispered, the questions flying from her lips before she could catch herself.

 

“Don’t call me, Ben. Call me Kylo Ren.”

 

Kylo Ren. The pieces came together as Rey identified the man who was sending her notes. Her hands went to his hood to rip it off but he stopped her.

 

“Why do you want me to call you that? Is that how you are staying hidden? A new identity?”

 

“So many questions, sweetheart. I’ll answer them all very soon. I’m finding a place for us to be together. Can you be patient for me and keep quiet like a good girl? I’d hate for something to happen. I’m already planning to punish you for getting us busted by your mom, so don’t make it worse.”

 

Rey ripped her hands from him and stomped hard on his foot. He laughed and shoved her higher up on the wall, slamming his knee between her legs. With her feet barely touching the ground now, Rey was truly at this man’s mercy.

 

“Please, please, I’m sorry, Ben—I mean Kylo,” she cried.

 

He didn’t say anything as he leaned forward and nuzzled her cheek with his. In the darkness, Rey could only feel a prickly beard against her skin. He brushed his lips against hers and leaned back.

 

Her eyes caught his and confirmed her fears. Those were the exact same eyes that she stared into as he raped her three years ago. When he held her down and threatened to kill her because _he couldn’t have her._

 

“God, I can’t wait to fuck you again. You’ll never get away from me now, Rey.” Ben said as he ground his knee against her, rubbing against a spot she never wanted him to touch again.

 

She shivered at the gesture and he slowly let her down. The sound of people walking back down the stairs pulled them both from their stare. He was gone in a flash, out the front door before Rey could scream. She cried and sunk to the floor.

 

Poe and Finn pulled her to her feet and rushed her out the door. Holding her face in his hand, Poe urged Rey to tell him what happened.

 

“He-he’s back. He’s here.”

 

“Who?” Rose demanded, pushing Poe out of the way.

 

“Ben. He showed up and said he was making a new home for us,” Rey replied in between hiccups. Rose pulled her into a hug.

 

“Are you sure, Rey? That explains those creepy notes from KR.”

 

“Kylo Ren”

 

“What?”

 

“That’s his new name. So he can hide.”

 

The friends stared at each other quietly as other guests left. None of them wanted to say it.

 

“Okay, Rey. I think it’s time to go to the police.”

 

Rey’s eyes widened and she shook her head.

 

“No! We can’t! He basically threatened me not to tell anyone. Oh God, I shouldn’t have even told you guys!”

 

“Rey, seriously? You are going to listen to the guy that raped you and murdered a bunch of girls from our town?” Poe shouted. Finn punched his arm.

 

“I wouldn’t say it like _that,_ but Poe has a point. Rey, we have to say something. He’s going to try and take you away again. Do you want that?”

 

What a stupid question. Rey sighed in defeat and followed her friends to the car. Going to the police was the last thing she wanted to do.

 

On the way to the police station, Rey called her mom.

 

“Hey. I have to tell you guys something.”

 

“Rey, I’m glad you called. Your father and I have something to tell you too.”

 


	4. And I’ve been keeping score

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey finds out something that Ben is planning and tries to get on top of it with the help of Rose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, Malevolent Reverie for checking this over! 
> 
>  
> 
> No warnings in this one, I think. Possible mention of past noncon.

Rey tossed the remainder of her shitty police station coffee into the trash the minute they got home. 

 

With bags under her eyes, she changed into a pair of sweatpants and curled up on the couch to turn the TV on to something mindless. Rose ushered Finn and Poe into the kitchen where their horrible attempts at whispering were heard above the TV. Rey turned up the volume and rubbed her temples. 

 

She could still feel his hands on her, his knee grinding into her core. The smell of his hot breath on her face. Shivers ran down her spine. It was like living in a neverending nightmare. The familiar feelings, smells and sounds that she could never forget. 

 

Going to the police was pointless. Not to mention dangerous. For nothing. They told her that “the patient has not been sighted in this area” and promised that it was probably just a person playing a prank of her because they saw the news story. 

 

Same shit. Different year. Memories of her cries to Maz being unheard rushed through her mind as she stared angrily ahead. Once again, the justice system failed to keep her safe. She would have to take it into her own hands. 

 

Rey refused to fall victim to that man again. She refused to become his captive and succumb to his sick fantasies of them. She pulled her laptop into her lap and began Googling self defense classes. 

 

After requesting appointments at two different places in the area, she stalked into the kitchen to sit with her friends. 

 

“Do you want to take a nap? We’ll keep an eye on everything down here.”

 

“What for? I can’t sleep.”

 

“What did you parent say?” 

 

“They said Leia finally called them to let them know that Ben has escaped. I didn’t tell them that I saw him last night. They’d put me on the first flight out of here.”

 

“Maybe you should stay with them for a while? I know your professors would work with you. If it was truly him last night, then you aren’t safe anymore!”

 

“Truly? Of course it was him, Rose. I’d know that man anywhere, but thanks for your vote of confidence.”

 

Rose opened her mouth to argue before Poe put a hand up and stepped in.

 

“We’re just saying, Rey. It  _ could _ be a creepy fan boy. I mean the notes are saying KR, right? And that’s what the guy told you to call him last night.”

 

“Yes, KR, for Kylo Ren.  _ Ben  _ has created a new name for himself. He’s not an idiot. He killed a bunch of girls in his basement and no one had a clue. He probably has this whole new identity set up for him. Hell, his mom probably paid for it!”

 

“Rey, we’re just saying that maybe we should look into the possibility that it’s not him and that you should visit your parents. Just to clear your head for a little bit,” Rose replied softly. Rey knew she struck a nerve with her friend but she didn’t care. 

 

“I’m so tired of everyone not believing me! Especially when no one believed me last time and look what happened. You all have  _ no  _ idea what I went through with him, an—”

 

“Because you never told us!” Poe shouted. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she dropped her jaw in shock.

 

“Rey, we tried to find out what happened. We’ve all asked. You just tell us you didn’t want to talk about it. We saw the bruises, we heard the news reports. So we  _ knew _ . Just not from you,” Finn said in an angry tone. 

 

Rey’s bottom lip trembled as she grabbed her wallet and keys. Stomping to the door, she flung it open and turned around. 

 

“Okay, you want the story? He raped me every night and pretended like we were the happiest couple on earth. If my mom hadn’t showed up, we would be in some godforsaken place and I wouldn’t even be here. Excuse me for not sharing my worst nightmare in a tell all book to my friends!” Rey screamed before slamming the door behind her. 

 

It was starting to rain and she didn’t care. She just took off. Puddles of water splashed up, soaking her sweatpants as she ran. King Street was covered with tourists bearing the rain for a Sunday brunch.

 

She stepped into the nearest coffee shop and ordered a Chai Latte before taking a seat. Rey turned her phone on airplane mode to ignore the texts from her worried friends and parents. 

 

“Order for Rey?”

 

She jumped up at the call of her name and grabbed her drink. Thanking the barista, she grabbed a money magazine and sipped her drink as she thumbed through the pages. She didn’t even care about the stock market. Rey just wanted to take her mind off of everything. 

 

“Fancy seeing you here, Rey!” Mallory, her classmate chirped as she took a seat across from Rey. She smiled weakly and hugged her drink closer. 

 

“Hey, Mal.”

 

“Uhm, bad morning?” the girl asked, pointing to Rey’s soaked attire before adjusting her Lilly Pulitzer dress. 

 

“Yup. You could say that.”

 

“You and Rose study too hard. I’m telling you, come to our Halloween mixer in a couple weeks! You are going to love it. Plus, you look like you could use a night off the books!”

 

Rey sighed as she mulled it over. Since starting college, she hadn’t really allowed herself to ‘let go’ and be a college student. All because of Ben. Now that he was really out, something tugged on her stomach to go out and enjoy life while she can. 

 

“You know what? Sure. I’ll go.”

 

Mallory squealed, getting a few weird looks from the people around her. She immediately started showing Rey her Pinterest board of costume ideas. 

 

“You could do Red Riding Hood!” 

 

“Nah, I was Red Riding Hood in high school. I kind of want to leave that in the past. How about this one?” Rey asked, pointing to toga costume. Mallory agreed and started sending Rey screenshots. 

 

“Now, you just have to convince Rose! She can bring Finn and you can bring Poe.”

 

Rey really didn’t even want to think about her friends right now. She shrugged and sipped her latte. 

 

“I don’t know, we’ll see. Why don’t you go with Poe? You’re always wanting us to set you up with him.”

 

Mallory smiled to herself and closed out of the Pinterest app. 

 

“I don’t need a date this year, I’ve already got one!”

 

Rey’s eyebrow raised and she scooted closer to her classmate. This mindless gossip was exactly what she needed. 

 

“Who’s the lucky guy? Tell me all about him!” she said with a fake smile. 

 

“Well, I met him on Tinder and he’s in the area. I don’t usually go for guys without a picture but he’s really sweet and he’s been really helping me through my parents’ divorce. We’ve been texting for a full week now. So we are trying a little blind date at the Halloween party!”

 

As Mallory finished her sentence, she flipped the phone around and Rey almost spit out her drink. Staring her in the face was a picture of Lake Lure and the name “Kylo Ren”.

 

“Mallory, he doesn’t have a picture. Are you sure this is safe? I mean, what’s with the lake picture? I don’t think this is a good idea.”

 

“Oh my God, Rey, live a little. Not every guy is a kidnapper!” 

 

Rey ignored the comment and bit her lip. What was he up to? Why was he targeting Mallory for? Was this a way to get at Rey? They weren’t even close friends. 

 

Sudden fear rushed through her veins as she remembered what he did to girls, because he was obsessed with Rey. Would he make Mallory his next victim? She couldn’t let that happen. She would confront him and make him leave this town for good. This was her shot to prove it to her friends and the police that Ben was back. 

 

“You’re probably right. I guess being actually kidnapped once has made me a worry wart!” she joked with a laugh. Mallory turned red and covered her mouth.

 

“Oh shit, Rey, I totally forgot, I’m so sorry.”

 

“Nah, it’s okay. I’m all good now. That party sounds fun and the date sounds amazing! I can’t wait to meet the lucky guy! What costume is he going to be in?”

 

“He said to look for the tall guy with a black cape and hood. Sounds handsome and mysterious huh? Plus if he’s a complete weirdo, I can just pretend like I never saw him!”

 

“Yeah, good plan! Hey, do me a favor? Can you text me if you do see him? I just want to get a good look in case he  _ is _ a total weirdo. Just to help you out.”

 

Mallory squeezed Rey’s hand and cocked her head in a smile before grabbing her purse.

 

“You are so sweet! Why don’t we all get ready together? Be at the sorority house by 7 PM on October 15th and we’ll make a date of it!”

 

“Sounds good!”

 

Mallory blew kisses in the air and rushed off into the rain. Rey ran to the barista and requested a pen. Scribbling over an article about the declining markets, she made a plan. 

  
  


            ———————————————

 

“Okay, Rey, now you’re talking crazy. Ben is trying to take  _ Mallory  _ to the Halloween party?”

 

“Yes! He was on Tinder as Kylo Ren with a picture of our hometown. Tell me that’s not a coincidence!”

 

“It could just be the same crazy f—”

 

“If you say fanboy again, I’m going to slap you! Please trust me on this, Rose. Please.”

 

Rose sat in silence for a moment and pushed the lettuce from her salad around with her fork. 

 

“So if this is truly Ben, why would you want to even go to this thing?”

 

“Because, Rose! If he’s there, we could prove that it really is him, and hopefully they would put him in prison this time! Please, I need you. I need your help. He said he was going to take me again. We have to end this!”

 

“Fine. I’ll help you  _ if _ we have an actual plan. I have a lot of questions.”

 

Rey whipped a chair out and sat eagerly across from Rose with a smile on her face. This was the hope she needed. 

 

“Poe and Finn have midterms the week. So them coming to the party is out. Them knowing we are doing this is also out. Do you think we can do this on our own?”

 

“All we have to do is catch him and keep him there until the police show up.”

 

“Rey, the man is a fucking  _ unit _ if I remember him correctly. How the hell are we going catch him and get him to hold still long enough for police to arrive?”

 

“I don’t know, a weapon! We’ll have to have a weapon along with our costumes. So I guess my toga idea is out the window.”

 

“Yeah, I’ll say. Alright. We have two weeks. We need to figure out our costumes, get a floor plan of the sorority house, and learn how to fight a man that’s twice our size.”

 

“We’ve got this!”

 

“I hope so, Rey. I really don’t want to know the consequences if we fail.” Rose said in a defeated tone. Rey rushes over to her friends and pulled her into a tight hug. 

 

They had their work cut out for them, but they could definitely pull this off. Rey didn’t want Mallory to fall victim to Ben’s charm. She also wanted to take Ben Solo down once and for all. 

 

Before heading upstairs for bed, Rey scribbled a small note and shoved it into a folder. Placing it on the doormat and locking the door, she smiled to herself.

 

The note read:

 

**“Game on,** **_Kylo.”_ **


	5. They tried to tell me I was lost in the forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey puts the plan in action at the Halloween party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and thank you to Malevolent Reverie for being an awesome beta. 
> 
> Only trigger warning is mention of past trauma and awkward accountants. I can pick on accountants because I am one ;)

It was a miracle that Rey passed her midterms. She barely studied and completely forgot the date of her business law exam, showing up to class as they were handing out bluebooks. 

 

She scanned her grades and sighed in relief to find them satisfactory and not deterring from her pre-law path. 

 

Her life had been consumed with planning for the party. Everything had to be in place. She even sacrificed a night of studying to go to a mixer with Mallory to scope out the venue. 

 

Tonight, once Rose got home from class, they would make the finishing touches to her Buffy the Vampire Slayer costume: a crossbow. 

 

Rose rushed home with the good news of all A’s and they scarfed down their pad thai while Rey pulled up the craigslist posting on her phone. 

 

“Are we sure this is legal?” Rose asked in between bites. 

 

“I’m sure it is. It’s not like I’m going hunting with it. Well, not for animals at least,” Rey said with a wink. Rose choked on her bite and grabbed her water. 

 

“Dude, you aren’t really going to shoot him with it, are you? I thought you were just going scare him with it.”

 

“I mean yeah, but if he tries to touch me, I can’t help it if I slip the trigger.”

 

“Shit. I don’t know why I’m even doing this with you.”

 

“I don’t know either but we have to meet Tim at the Whole Foods in like fifteen minutes so let’s go!”

 

They grabbed their bags and jumped into Rose’s car.

————————————

 

“What kind of accountant owns a crossbow?” Rose asked as Rey waited for the guy to show up. She shrugged and continued playing a word game on her phone. 

 

A blue Prius pulled up beside them and Rey hopped out of the car after Rose gave her a nervous look. She quickly followed. The tall and skinny man approached and began to open his trunk.

 

“Are you Tim?” Rey asked politely. 

 

“Yup. You still interested in this?” the man asked as he pulled out the crossbow pictured in the ad. He couldn’t have been older than 25.

 

“What’s a guy like you doing with a crossbow?” Rose piped up. Rey stood in front of her and reached out for the weapon.

 

“I’ll take it, how much? Does it come with arrows?”

 

“$250, please. I have ten arrows but I can throw more in for 50 more bucks.”

 

“No, that will do,” she said as she pulled a wad of cash out of her bag. Rose watched the exchange, wide-eyed, then Tim nodded and rushed back to the driver seat of his car with an awkward ‘thank you.’

 

“Jesus Rey, did you sell a kidney for that thing?”

 

Rey felt the weight of the cold weapon in her hands before shoving it into the back seat of Rose’s car. 

 

“No, I had some leftover money from my internship this summer. It was worth it. Let’s get back home. We have exactly what we need for Friday.”

 

Rose looked worried as they drove back to the house. Rey felt confident inside that she could handle this. With the crossbow completing her costume, she was ready to take Ben on. 

 

—————————————

 

There were no more notes from ‘Kylo Ren’ after the note she left him mysteriously disappeared weeks ago. He was probably laying low for the party.

 

The night of the party brought jitters of nervousness and excitement through Rey’s veins. She told Mallory she would meet her there with Rose in tow and that she couldn’t wait to meet the ‘date’. How true those words were. 

 

As Rose finished putting vampire teeth in with a few drops of fake blood down her chin, Rey buckled the arrows into her bag to carry. The bow was loaded but the safety was on so she just had to be sure that no drunk frat boy ran off with it. 

 

“So should we practice this or something?”

 

“No, we should be good. Let’s go through the plan again.”

 

The girls huddled together over the kitchen table with the printed pictures of the sorority house spread out before them. 

 

“You said that Ben will be wearing a black cape, with a hood on. He’ll probably have a mask on. I’ll keep an eye on Mal while you look for him. Whoever finds them first needs to text the other person,” Rose started. 

 

“Okay, once we find him, I’m going to lure him and Mallory to the meeting room for a fake picture. And then you’re going to call her cell and tell her there’s been an emergency. Once she goes away, it’ll be just me and him and then you’ll call the police and tell them who we’ve found. Then once they get there, BOOM, he’s caught.”

 

Rose sighed and stared at Rey with a nervous look in her eyes they were both thinking the same thing. 

 

“So, what are you going to do when it’s just you and Ben? Will you be okay?”

 

“He’s not going to touch me again,” Rey replied before staring back at the crossbow that was sitting on the couch. 

 

“Just be careful, Rey. I don’t want anything to happen to you again.”

 

Rey smiled and ushered her roommate out the front door. Tonight was going to be a long night. 

 

The drive to the sorority house didn’t take long and the music was pumping the minute they got there. Orange and black streamers hung on the old trees and flashing lights beamed across the front yard. 

 

Rey and Rose stepped into the party and got to work. The crossbow was tucked in Rey’s arm and guys made passes at her and her authentic costume gear as she pushed past the sweating bodies to find Mallory. 

 

She kept her phone close to her, eyes scanning the room for a black cape and hood. There were plenty of those, but none match the height of the person she was looking for. 

 

Rey bumped into Mallory, almost spilling the girl’s drink on her angel costume. Mallory beamed at Rey and pulled her into a hug before admiring her outfit. 

 

“So 90’s, I love it! Have you seen my special guest? I’m still looking for him!”

 

“No, no sign of him. Let me know when you find each other. I want to meet him!” Rey shouted over the music. Mallory nodded and ran off to greet some other guests. 

 

_ ‘Where are you, Ben?’  _ she thought to herself as she kept checking her phone. Nothing from Rose. Was it all a fluke? Did he trick them into coming so he could put cameras in their house or something? A cold flush ran through her. Something was up.

 

This was a mistake, she could feel it. Just as she was about to text Rose and tell her that they needed to get home quick, a tall figure in a dark hood was walking towards the back hallway of the house. The height matched perfectly.

 

Rey tilted her crossbow up and stayed a few feet behind him as they walked past drunk college students towards the back of the house. Her heart pounded against her chest. 

 

She opened her phone and realized Rose had tried to call her three times. She texted her quickly to say she found him and shoved her phone in her pocket. 

 

The figure walked into a dark room and Rey was about to follow him in when someone pulled her against them and started pulling her in the other direction. 

 

“Hey! Back the fuck off!” she shrieked, her voice lost in the pounding music. Rey turned to see a guy in a skeleton outfit with a black mask and skull covering his entire face. Probably some jerkoff from her class. 

 

The guy ignored her as he led her to the meeting room where Rose was supposed to be leading Mallory and her ‘date.’ This guy was ruining everything! Rey didn’t have time for collateral damage. 

 

“Let me go, now!” she yelled he pushed her into the room. Rey dropped her crossbow and caught her balance. The door slammed behind them.

 

“I’m not making out with you, you sick creep. You are messing everything up!” she cried out in frustration. The guy just stood by the door in silence. Her phone started vibrating nonstop. 

 

“Rose! Change of plans, our friend is in a study room in the back, so g—”

 

“I’ve been trying to call you. Where are you!?”

 

“I’m in the meeting hall. Some  _ asshole  _ just dragged me in here and won’t move from the door. I’ll just use a window.  Just get to the study room now!”

 

“Rey, the guy in the hood is Trey from class! Mallory and I ran into him and he said someone paid him to wear that costume tonight and tell Mallory he was “Kylo Ren.”

 

“I-I don’t understand.”

 

“Rey, Ben is not in the outfit that he told Mallory online. So he could be anyone at the party right now! Where are you?”

 

“Hang up the phone, Rey.” A familiar deep voice filled her ears behind her. Her body felt like ice as she slowly turned to see the crossbow,  _ her _ crossbow, pointed directly at her chest. 

 

Rey hit the ‘end call’ button immediately and held it up, her face white as a ghost. 

 

“Throw your phone to me,” the voice said from behind the mask. Rey did as she was told and trembled as he caught it and put it in his pocket. That was the second time he had taken that from her.

 

Rey bit back a scream as Ben pulled the mask off with a smirk and locked the door behind him.

  
  
  



	6. Like a cub with no mother, when I actually was where I wanted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben stand off face to face for the first time in years and things don't go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm backkkkkk! I've missed you all and this story. Thank you to the lovely Malevolent Reverie, who is killing it with her amazing stories! 
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: SLIGHT NONCON TOUCHING AND VIOLENCE.

Ben had not changed much in three years. Except for the beard he was now sporting, he was still the same guy she remembered growing up with.

 

After the longest moment of silence with them staring at each other, daring the other to make a move, Rey spoke up with her voice cracking. 

 

“Rose knows where we are. She’s going to be here any moment.”

 

Ben huffed out a laugh and pulled her phone out. Failing to unlock it, he approached her slowly with the crossbow still aimed at her chest. 

 

Rey was too frozen to take a step back and her breathing picked up when he was inches from her. 

 

“You’re going to unlock this, and text Rose for me.” He stood right beside her and put the phone in her hand. 

 

Rey unlocked the phone with trembling fingers. Ben used his free hand to pull her hair off her shoulders before leaning in to watch. 

 

“W-What am I saying?”

 

“Just tell her you figured out who the guy was and that everything is fine. Make it sound like you don’t want to be disturbed.”

 

“Rose isn’t stupid.”

 

“That’s why you have to make it convincing, dove. C’mon now. You don’t want her to show up, trust me.”

 

Rey texted Rose quickly and watched with bated breath at the three dots confirming that Rose was replying. Ben’s hot breath on her neck did nothing to ease her fears. 

 

“ _ Who?” _

 

Rey sighed in frustration and quickly thought of a name from a guy in one of her classes. 

 

“ _ Jake. From I-Law. The one I’ve been trying to go to coffee with for weeks now? I’m here with him so I’ll catch up with you and Mal later. I’m safe.” _

 

Rey added the last part in for good measure. They both watched the three dots again until Rose sent back three red hearts. She bought it. Unfortunately and fortunately. 

 

“Jake from I-Law, huh? Does he know that you are already taken?”

 

“What do you want?” she asked as he ripped the phone from her hands once more. Rey took a step back but he just followed her. Her butt hit the nearby table. 

 

“So your plan was to catch me and what, shoot me with an arrow?” he replied, waving the crossbow.

 

“Anything to get you back where you belong. Rotting in a cell somewhere,”  she hissed. 

 

Ben narrowed his eyes and threw the crossbow a few feet away. Rey tried to dart over to it, but a fist in her hair yanked her back against his chest. Ben whipped her around and pushed her face down on the table. She could feel a bruise forming on her cheekbone. 

 

Rey whimpered as he brought his face close to hers and she squeezed her eyes shut. His hips pushed against her, giving her flashbacks to his master bedroom in the cabin from hell. 

 

“You’ve gotten a little feisty over the years, Rey. I’m going to have to teach you a lesson,” he seethed in her ear before kissing her temple. 

 

“Please stop,” she whispered as he held her down with a fist in her hair. Rey tried to reach back to scratch him with no luck. Her heart nearly stopped as he started pulling her jeans down, ripping the buttons.

 

“Let’s see if I can still get you wet for me. Just like old times.” 

 

Rey sobbed as her panties were ripped down to her ankles. Cold air raised goosebumps on her bare skin. She felt a finger enter her from behind and she choked. 

 

“Stop, stop!”

 

Ben ignored her as he moved his long fingers in a very familiar way inside of her. Just as she was starting to feel the building pressure, he pulled his fingers out of her and licked them with a groan. 

 

“I’ve missed this, Rey. Haven’t you? Have you been able to touch yourself since we last saw each other?” 

 

That struck a nerve as she sniffled against the table. Ben gently rocked his hips against her, his cock hard against her thighs. 

 

“You didn’t answer me, Rey. Have you been able to touch yourself without thinking of me?” he repeated, leaning down for her answer. Rey blinked a few times before shaking her head. 

 

“I hate you.”

 

“Dramatic as always.”

 

Ben pulled her pants up and let go of her hair. With Rey pinned between the table, he checked her phone to see no messages. Rose truly bought it and now she was alone with him. 

 

Rey’s eyes flicked over to the crossbow on the floor. Ben turned her phone off and put it in her front pocket. 

 

“So let’s talk, Rey, hm? No more crossbows and hero plans?”

 

“You’re gonna pay for what you did,” she said through clenched teeth. 

 

“What did I do? To all these people out here, I’m just Kylo Ren, graduate student and new to the area.”

 

“Your face is going to be  _ all _ over the news once I get out of here.”

 

Ben growled and grabbed her jaw. Rey struggled and dug her nails into his wrist. 

 

“That’s where you’re wrong. You are going to leave here and not say a word. All this was, was a party hook up. Maybe I should leave a few hickeys on your neck to make it more believable.”

 

Rey pulled her jaw from his grip and stumbled back. She raced for the crossbow. Ben stumbled after her and tackled her from behind. Crashing to the ground, with Ben gripping her hips, Rey tried to crawl to the weapon. 

 

“You… won’t… win this time!” she huffed as she got closer to the crossbow. He growled loudly behind her. 

 

“When we get to where I’m taking you, I’m going to fuck you so hard, you won’t get up for a week. I will  _ punish _ you for this, Rey!” he yelled in a dark tone. 

 

Rey squealed and finally got her hands on the crossbow. She bucked her hips and hit his nose, forcing Ben to let go with a yelp. 

Rey got to her feet with the weapon pointed at Ben, her chest heaving and head lifted high.

 

“Get up, and walk to the other side of the room!” she demanded. 

 

A hand covering his bleeding nose, Ben got to his feet and backed away. His other hand was in the air in a stance of defense. 

 

Rey lowered the crossbow to aim at his leg. She really hoped her aim was good. She could hear Ben’s breathing pick up as she pulled the lever back. Just as she was about to shoot a loud bang hit the door. 

 

“Charleston Police, open up with your hands up!”

 

Relief pulsed through her veins. Rose must’ve known. Ben scowled with a dangerous look in his eyes. 

 

“I’ve got him! I have my weapon on him!” she yelled back.

 

“Please put the weapon down and open the door.”

 

Were they fucking crazy? Rey shuddered and lowered the crossbow. She turned with a blink of an eye to open the door. 

 

Several officers ran in with guns at the ready. Rey rushed past them and ran into Rose’s arms. Her friend hugged her tightly. 

 

“Is this some kind of a joke, kids?” The officer barked from inside the room. 

 

Rey’s stomach dropped and she pulled away from Rose. Walking into the room, she saw it completely empty, except for the officers standing in confusion in the middle of the room. The window across the room was busted opened with glass everywhere. 

 

Rey ran to the window and looked outside before turning back to the cops. 

 

“He got out! Don’t you see?” she said angrily. This couldn’t be happening. How did he get away so fast?!

 

“If this is some kind of Halloween joke, then use this as a lesson learned. There is a serious criminal on the loose and you are out here playing games. You’ll both be getting community service for this. What a waste of time!” the officer retorted. 

 

Rey’s jaw dropped as she shared an angry glance with Rose. This was utter bullshit. 

 

“Are you kidding me? Rey was a victim of this man! Why would we play a prank like this? Maybe you guys should go out and try to  _ chase _ the ‘serious criminal’ instead of auditioning for  _ Live PD  _ by bullying a bunch of college kids!”

 

“Do you want to spend a night in jail, ma’am?”

 

Rose shook her head and rolled her eyes. The officers pulled both girls outside to write them a ticket and give them a lecture on the importance of 911. Rey seethed with half a mind to rip the ticket in half after they left.

 

“Well that was embarrassing,” a chirpy voice came from behind them. 

 

Rey and Rose turned to see Mallory coming out of the house. The party had resumed with the flashing lights and pounding music. 

 

“I hope ya’ll know you are never allowed to come to a party here again. Do you know how many kids just got drinking tickets because of this stunt?” she said angrily. Rose scowled and moved forward but Rey grabbed her arm. 

 

“Fuck your party, Mal. And fuck the police. This town is a bunch of washed-up southern belles and rich assholes! We were trying to save  _ your _ dumbass from your online blind date, but don’t mind us!” Rose yelled across the yard as Rey dragged her away. 

 

Rey pushed her roommate into the car and sped off. Neither said a word to the other as she drove them home. The radio played a soft country song in the background. 

 

“Are you sure it was him?”

 

“Oh c’mon, not you too! Yes, I know it was him, Rose. Don’t insult me. I’ve seen enough of his face to last me a fucking lifetime,” Rey hissed. 

 

Rose muttered an apology and the rest of the drive was in silence. Once they reached home, Rey clambered up the stairs and ran a bath. Still shaken up from the encounter, she locked her windows and every door in the house before retiring for bed. 

 

“So, if that was really him, then he got away.”

 

“Yup.”

 

“That means he’s probably going to come for you.”

 

“Hopefully he’s not that stupid. Police think I’m a moron but I’m sure they are checking everywhere for him tonight. I locked everything just to be safe. I’m probably not sleeping tonight, anyway,” Rey responded with a sigh. Rose bid her goodnight and went to her room.

 

An hour later, when Rey was trying to fight her drooping eyelids, it dawned on her that Ben Solo still had her phone.

 

                 ————————————

  
  


“Good morning honey. How was your run?” Daisy called as she heard the door open. Her husband came into the kitchen and rushed straight to the fridge for some water. 

 

“Good, it’s going to be a nice day. You going out anywhere today?” he asked in between sips. 

 

Daisy beamed and placed a hot plate of pancakes on the table. 

 

“I am! I need to get some new stuff for the house and then make a list for groceries next week!”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Rey texted us, she wants to come home for fall break this year. She’ll be in this weekend! I’m so excited to see her! She hasn’t seen the house yet. Plus with everything going on with Ben getting out, I think some distance from the south will be good for her.”

 

Daisy hummed to herself as she cleaned the dishes while her husband ate, looking forward to seeing her daughter soon. 

 


	7. Bite Off the Venomous Head, follow the Chemical Scent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey realizes that Ben is about to get her parent’s involved and takes action. A body is discovered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Malevolent Reverie for being my beta :) 
> 
> This is a short but sweet chapter but it’s time for a plot shifttttt!!! Enjoy.

Rey shot up in her bed around 9AM. She could have sworn she heard someone at her window. 

 

Wrapping herself in a robe, she opened the door slowly, almost prepared to see Ben’s creepy face staring back at her. 

 

All that met her was the neighbors cat, Tiger, in the tree, hissing at her. 

 

”Good morning to you too,” she said as she slammed the window shut. She sighed and closed the curtains. 

 

She couldn’t go back to sleep so she just laid in bed, wishing she had the “Find my IPhone” feature on her computer. She would go straight to the police. Not that they would listen. 

 

Rey had completely failed tonight. She let her guard down and trusted the police and they failed her.  _ Again. _ Flashbacks to her infuriating meeting with Detective Maz Kanata drifted into her mind. She was scolded like a child and sent home. 

 

She seethed as she opened her bedroom door and made her way to the kitchen to make some tea.

 

Flipping her International Law book open, Rey began to study the concept of  _ Terra Nulius  _ when Rose rushed down the stairs. 

 

“Rey! Have you checked your phone?”

 

Rey rolled her eyes and gestured to the emptiness around her. 

 

“Nope. Creepy kidnapper from the past stole it, remember?”

 

Rose’s expression sank as she held hers out. Rey squinted at the headline. 

 

“COLLEGE PARTY ENDS IN HOMICIDE. SORORITY CO-ED FOUND STRANGLED IN NEARBY CHARLESTON RIVER.”

 

“Do you think it’s Ben?” 

 

Rey’s heart dropped as the headline brought back so many memories. The only thing missing was the comment on the full face of make-up. Ben’s old trademark. 

 

“Maybe it's a coincidence? I mean we caused a scene. I highly doubt he would attack someone after we alerted the police.”

 

“Or maybe he took a break from creating your Barbie Dream House and murdered someone.”

 

Rey chewed on her bottom lip. It was possible that he retaliated. She wished now more than ever she had her phone. Her phone. Her parents. 

 

“Oh shit Rose—I need your phone! What if my parents call mine? I have to warn them!” she said as she yanked her roommates phone out of her hands. She quickly dialed her mom’s cell and her heart skipped a beat as she waited for them to pick up. 

 

Ten seconds later a worried voice greeted her on the other end.

 

”Rose, honey, I just saw the news! Is everything okay? How’s Rey?” her mother asked quickly no. A wave of relief hit Rey before she responded. 

 

”Mom, it's me. I lost my phone so I wanted to call and tell you-”

 

”Oh no, honey. When did you lose it? I got a text earlier this morning that you were coming this weekend! I cannot wait, Rey. You are going to love our little beach house, plus Bailey has missed you so much.”

 

Rey’s heart stopped. She looked at Rose and quickly put the phone on mute. 

 

”Ben texted my parents.”

 

”What!?”

 

”Apparently  _ I  _ am going home this weekend.”

 

”Is he going to hurt your parents?”

 

”Rey, honey, you there?” her mother interrupted. Rey flipped the mute switch.

 

”Yup! Sorry! Of course I'll be there. I wouldn't miss it for the world. You know, since I don't have my phone, did I mention if I bought a plane ticket or train ticket?”

 

”Rey, were you drinking last night? This is really irresponsible of you. I know classes have been rough, but you really should-” 

 

”Yeah mom, I know. Look, you can lecture me later, but I need to pack. Can you just remind me what I told you since I lost my phone?”

 

Her mother sighed on the other line.

 

”Well you told me your plane landed at 11 tonight. Good thing you called, you would have probably missed it.”

 

Rey sputtered excuses and promised to be not a minute late. She hung up with a heavy weight on her chest. 

 

”Rey… what are you going to do?” Rose broke that silence. Rey took a deep breath before pulling up American Airlines on her computer. 

 

”I guess I'm going home to meet my stalker before he does something to my parents. Come on, help me find a possible flight for today. I have to get there before he does.”

 

”Rey, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean we can just go to the police this morning and tell them everything.”

 

”And what? Get kicked out and scolded like we’re five? I'll pass, thanks. Besides, they proved last night that they didn't care.”

 

Rose rolled her eyes and took her phone back as Rey quickly bought a plane ticket that landed at 11:00PM on the dot. 

 

”Well, if I can be honest, that idea wasn't the smartest.”

 

Rey paused mid-sip of her tea. ”Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

 

Rose crossed her arms and stood her ground as Rey stood up opposite from her. 

 

“No, I’m not kidding. What were we thinking, Rey? Showing up with a crossbow to play Avengers against a guy who clearly is a lot more clever than us. I mean you could have gotten kidnapped again. Or worse, killed! Let the police handle it for crying out loud.”

 

“What was I supposed to do? He was going to find me whether I searched or not. I just wanted to beat him to the punch.”

 

“Well, it was really irresponsible. I mean there were at least 20 minutes where you were alone with him. What did he do to you?”

 

Rey turned away with tears in her eyes. She sniffled as Rose sighed and pulled her friend into a hug. 

 

“I’m not trying to bust your balls, Rey, but running headfirst like this to your parent's house, hoping to beat Ben when you are no match… it scares me.”

 

“I don’t have a choice, Rose. No one will listen to me. I’m going to show up at my parent's house and give him the welcome he deserves. You don’t have to worry about me. He’s not going to best me again.”

 

“Just be careful okay? And get a burner phone so I can at least stay in contact.” 

 

Rey promised before going to pack. Her thoughts running wild as she threw as many activewear items she could find into her duffel bag. This wasn’t a joy trip. She was going to take him out. She didn’t know how, but she just knew she had to win. 

 

                        ————————

 

Rose dropped her off at the airport with a fresh burner phone and a bag full of yoga clothes and coats. Rey gave her the temporary phone number and they came up with a code word in case Rey was in trouble: Moose. 

 

They hugged and Rey got out of the car, hoisting her bag over her shoulder. She texted her parents her new number and told them she was at the airport. Her mom sent back a bunch of heart emojis and she smiled. 

 

Security was a breeze, giving Rey an hour to kill before she boarded her plane. She stopped by a coffee shop and ordered a drink, and reluctantly paid for a $10 magazine on the stand. 

 

With the magazine under her arm, she searched for her gate. The airport was eerily quiet for 6PM. She took a seat near the gate and began flipping through the magazine, hoping to calm her fears and lose herself in the life of the Kardashians. Rey didn’t give a shit about the Kardashians, but it was a welcome distraction to figuring out what the hell she was going to do when she got home. 

 

Would she sleep in the living room with a knife at her side? Would she come clean to her parents? That thought gave her comfort. Daisy saved her when Ben had first kidnapped her. The woman was tiny but had the ferocity of a dragon. Her mom would know what to do. She just has to get to her first. 

 

Fear crept up her throat at the thought. What if  _ he _ got to them before she did? Would he kill them? Acid from the coffee rose, causing her to cough. She couldn’t think about that. She just had to stay focused. Taking a deep breath, Rey turned her attention back to her magazine when her phone dinged loudly. 

 

**They ID’d the girl.**

 

_ Who? _

 

**Rey…**

 

_ Tell me. Please. _

 

**It’s Mallory.**

 

Rey quickly shoved the magazine off her lap and raced for a trashcan. Leaning over the nearest metal can, she dry heaved until her snack and coffee violently came up in a fit of vomiting. Her phone went off and Rey could only assume it was Rose trying to call. She couldn’t talk to her right now. 

 

With weak knees, Rey sank to the floor and began crying openly. She didn’t care how crazy she looked.  _ He killed her friend _ . Sure, Mal wasn’t a life long best friend but a person that mattered to her nonetheless. Rey couldn’t help but blame herself for getting Mallory in this mess.

 

She whimpered again thinking of her parents. 

She said a silent prayer to whatever God was listening and tried to catch her breath.

 

Rey was still leaning against the trash can when a handful of napkins flew into her periphery. Rey took them with a smile and thanked the kind bystander. Slightly embarrassed, she quickly wiped her face and threw away the dirty napkins before standing up.

 

“I’m sorry, thank you. I just got bad news and I was in shock.” She mumbled before looking up. She wished she hadn’t. 

 

Her eyes locked on Ben Solo, head tilted, wearing a baseball cap. Her bag was clutched tightly in his hand.

 

“Ready to go, sweetheart? We can’t keep Daisy waiting.” 

  
  
  
  
  



	8. Look for the hole in the fence, take everything you demand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben have a showdown in the airport and her journey to her parents take a sinister turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Malevolent Reverie for being my beta :) 
> 
> TW: straight up noncon. No tenderness in this one. Sorry. Merry Christmas!

Rey remembered something from a safety awareness training years ago at the university. If your body gets to a point of extreme stress, your heart rate gets to an unimaginable speed, then you freeze up. In a situation of life and death, you  _ can’t _ get to that point. The police officer told them all to practice deep breathing on a daily basis so that they could stay calm during moments of extreme stress.

 

Flash to the current moment. It doesn’t  _ work _ . Rey’s heart is pounding in her chest, black dots filling her vision, and she can’t do anything except stare at Ben Solo’s smirking face in the middle of a quiet airport. 

 

He takes a step forward. She forced herself to take a step back. They do this dance until her calves hit a nearby chair. She fights the urge to sit down and pass out. 

 

The gate attendant’s voice boomed over the intercom. 

 

“Flight 243 - Charleston to Nantucket - is now boarding.” Rey felt dizzy as Ben nodded to the attendant.

 

“We’re going to miss this one, I’m afraid. Don’t worry, we’ll go somewhere better,” he said, gesturing to the gate door. Rey glared at him and took a step to the side. He reached out for her arm and she quickly jerked away.

 

Ben narrowed his eyes, trying to read her next move. Honestly, Rey didn’t even know her next move. She just knew she had to run. Unaware passengers just continued on toward the gate attendant, tickets in hand, while she was in the stare down of her life. 

 

Just then, someone sneezed and Ben looked up for one second and that’s all Rey needed. She took off toward the security line, rushing through crowds of people. 

 

Slurs and profanity were shouted her way as she bumped against random people. She felt bad for the guy who had a steaming cup of Starbucks. Rey didn’t even know if he was following her, nor did she care. She needed to get the hell away from him. 

 

What about her parents? Her heart sank as she dashed through the security line. Would he go to them and retaliate?

 

Just as she stopped to take a breath before she reached a TSA agent, the wind was knocked out of her and she was tackled to the ground. Agents surrounded them as she was forced on the ground face down. The smell of pine confirmed her attacker. 

 

“Sir, get up now with your hands in the air!” a stern female voice sounded above them. He grunted and got up slowly. Rey turned around and groaned as she rolled on her back with a smirk. Busted.

 

“I am so so sorry, officer. My name is Phil Kuhn This is my wife, Cassandra, and she’s very ill,” he said with a shaky voice. Rey looked up at him in contempt.

 

“I am not! My name is Re-“

 

“Don’t listen to her. She’s very ill. I have her passport, see? Here are the supporting documents signed by a doctor with her social security number. Feel free to run it. We are heading to a new doctor to see what he can do for her.” He handed the agent a passport that definitely wasn’t Rey’s and the agent looked to the other officer with a curt nod. 

 

“Help the missus up. She has short term memory loss, stated here in supporting documents. She’s been deemed incompetent.”

 

“That makes no fucking sense! He’s lying!” she hissed. Ben shook his head sadly at the agent while wiping a fake tear. 

 

The agents helped Rey up while she fought against them to no avail. They had to be kidding. She knew he probably had some sort of plan, but not like this!

 

“That’s wrong! They are forged documents. My name is Rey and my parents live in Nantucket. I go to the College of Charleston, pre-law path. My name is  _ not _ Cassandra and that man is a murderer and rapist,  _ not _ my fucking husband. I won’t go anywhere with him! Please!” she begged. The agents laughed and Ben shook his head sympathetically. 

 

“She’s been on this new kick for weeks now, I’m so sorry,” he said. She spit at him and the officers pulled her back tightly. 

 

“No worries, Mr. Kuhn. Do you need us to have her handcuffed on the flight?”

 

“No, I have some of her medicine here in my bag, if you’ll help me hold her still.”

 

No,  _ no.  _ These people didn’t believe her and they were going to let him drug her! Didn't they  _ see _ that he was the fugitive?

 

“Please,  _ stop _ you have this wrong. He’s not my husband. He kidnapped me in high school. I’m Rey, the girl that survived the strangling rapist in Lake Lure? Look at him, dammit!” she screamed. Other people walked by staring at the spectacle, no one offering a second opinion. 

 

The agent looked at Ben and shrugged.

 

“I look like the actor on the Lifetime movie. I should’ve never let her watch that alone.”

 

“You do look familiar but you probably just have one of those faces, you know?”

 

Ben laughed and rubbed his beard. He reached in his bag and pulled out a syringe. Rey couldn’t believe it. They were letting him kidnap her and they were  _ assisting  _ him. 

 

“Remember these, honey? It won’t hurt a bit, okay? Just breathe for me,” he said gently, looking in her eyes. Tears fell down her cheeks as the needle pricked her upper arm. He wiped them away and kissed the top of her head. 

 

A wave of nausea churned in her stomach. It was the worst kind of deja vu. Once again, the authorities let her down. 

 

The medicine worked quick and the agents let go of her arm. Ben hoisted her up while they got her a wheelchair. Rey felt helpless as he sat her down, thanked them, and began wheeling her to a concierge desk. 

 

“Hello, it seems we just missed our flight to Nantucket. I guess that trip wasn’t in the cards for us. Can you tell me about flights to Bali?”

 

Rey’s consciousness weaved in and out. She caught the word “Bali” and choked out a sob. Halfway across the world. He purchased the tickets and wheeled her across the airport to a completely different terminal. Whispers of “help” escaped her lips as she passed innocent people walking by. Ben clutched her shoulder tightly in warning. 

 

They approached an international gate and he sat her next to him and began rummaging through his backpack. Rey leaned forward, hoping to fall, or something to draw attention to them.  _ Someone _ had to believe her. She couldn’t believe he forged all of that paperwork to make it seem like she was incompetent. It looked signed by a doctor, too. 

 

Who the hell would be an accomplice to this? Ben’s large hand gripped hers as he slipped something on her finger. 

 

It was the fucking diamond ring he had for her years ago. How? How did he pull all of this off? Rey didn’t understand. Who was working for him while he was in the mental hospital? Bile rose in her throat as he kissed her hand tenderly. Like a lover would. 

 

“You are going to love Bali. I got us a tropical villa in the jungle at a quiet resort. Just you and me. Like old times, hmm? Let’s see your mama try and figure this one out. You’re mine now.”

 

She whimpered as the gate attendant announced they would be boarding shortly. This medicine needed to wear off fast. Rey needed to figure out another plan. 

 

————————

 

Rey didn’t know how long she slept, but they had over 15 hours left in the trip until they landed in her new hell. She sat next to the window and looked out to see only darkness. It must be night. She slowly looked over to see Ben reading something on his iPad. 

 

He must’ve felt like someone was staring because he looked over at her. 

 

“Good morning, babe. Or I guess I should say, good evening. It’s past midnight eastern time. How are you feeling?”

 

Rey groaned in response, still feeling groggy. 

 

“I figured. I used a much higher dose this time. Do you need to use the bathroom or anything?” 

 

She shook her head. Her mouth was as dry as sandpaper. She reached weakly for a water bottle stuffed in the seat pocket, but Ben grabbed it first. 

 

“Let me help you, dove,” he whispered. She wished he’d drop the ‘boyfriend of the year’ act. She knew what he really was. A monster.

 

He tipped the bottle over her lips and Rey drank greedily, snatching the bottle from him. He laughed and winked at her. 

 

“That’s the fire I love in you. Great acting earlier, by the way. You  _ really  _ helped me sell the scene back there with those stupid agents.”

 

“Fuck you,” she mustered. She threw the empty bottle to the ground. 

 

He leaned in and nipped at her earlobe before kissing her neck. 

 

“Don’t tempt me, Rey,” he murmured. She hissed in disgust. Ben kissed her cheek before turning back to his device. 

 

She looked around to see most of the passengers were sleeping. She considered screaming but her track record for getting people to listen was zero at the moment. 

 

Rey needed to get someone’s attention. For her to do that, she needed to get out of this seat. She turned to Ben quickly.

 

“I need to stretch my legs. Please.”

 

“You probably can’t walk right now.”

 

“Can you at least help me to the bathroom?”

 

“I thought you didn’t need to go?”

 

“Now I do.” 

 

Ben raised an eyebrow suspiciously at her and looked around them. Rey remembered something she saw in a movie once and she decided it was worth a try. She just had to hope that he didn’t see the movie either. 

 

He rolled his eyes and unbuckled his seatbelt before helping her up. Ben was right in that she could barely walk. He held her up in his arms as she awkwardly wobbled to the back. The people that were awake stared at them both. 

 

Good. Let them think something is up. 

 

They got to the bathroom and he opened the door and was about to join her when the flight attendant stopped him.

 

“Excuse me,  _ sir _ . This is not  _ that _ kind of flight. The lady needs to go in there by herself.”

 

Rey held back a smirk. Maybe this half baked plan would work after all. She all but pushed him away and closed the door quickly. She could hear him arguing with the attendant. 

 

Rey didn’t have long. She leaned on the small wall to hold herself up and pumped a bunch of soap in her hand. 

 

In the movie - the girl faked that the man had a bomb and wrote a message in the mirror. Rey wouldn’t be that dramatic. She started writing out the word “kidnapped” when the door clicked open. 

 

Shit. Rey couldn’t see who was behind her but she began writing more furiously. A large hand swiped around the soap message and a wet slap against her cheek made her ears ring. 

 

He gripped her jaw so tight that Rey was sure he was going to crush her face. 

 

“What the hell are you thinking, Rey?” he hissed furiously, spit hitting her face. She tried to claw at him, but he thrust her back against the wall, knocking the breath out of her. 

 

“Somebody! He—” Rey screamed out before he clapped a hand over her mouth. Ben pushed her over the sink. The space was already so tight that they were hip to hip. 

 

She heard the sound of something rip before her mouth was covered with a piece of cloth. Rey cried as he ripped her leggings down to her ankles. 

 

“You want to play games again, Rey? Hmm? Play Pictionary on the mirror?”

 

She whimpered as she felt something hot against her butt. Ben grunted as he rubbed himself in between her folds. With one thrust, all of her nightmares rushed through her mind. Rey  _ never _ thought she would be in this position again. 

 

Rey clutched the sink, the stupid diamond sparking in the dim bathroom light as he pumped into her. Hot breath was in her ear and hot tears rolled down her cheeks. The cloth was wet with her spit and salty tears as she cried. 

 

“How did you think I got that doctor’s note? I’m not in this alone this time, dove,” he said harshly in her ear between thrusts. 

 

She knew it. 

 

“And that friend of mine is waiting on my word to know we got to Bali undetected. Because if we don’t, well, your friend Rose is in for a rough day.”

 

Rey shook her head roughly. Her friend was in danger, now. This was all her fault.

 

“Say you’re sorry, Rey.”

 

She yelled through the fabric and hoped he could understand her. She had no idea the stakes were different this time. 

 

He pushed into her a few more times before grunting out a string of curses as he came. She felt his cum shoot into her and choked through her tears. 

 

“Fuck, that felt amazing. It’s been too long, sweetheart.” 

 

Ben ripped off the cloth and threw it in the trash before wiping her tears with his thumbs. He looked into her eyes and kissed her hard on the lips before pulling her leggings back up, not bothering to clean up her sticky thighs.

 

He flushed the toilet for show and opened the door back up to see the attendants looking at them both. 

 

“She has a UTI. Really painful when she, you know,  _ goes.”  _

 

Rey looked down with her red, puffy eyes and throbbing cheek as the attendants rubbed her back. 

 

“Get better, honey. I really hope that doctor can help you two! Your story just breaks my heart.”

 

He smiled and thanked them before walking her back to her seat. Rey looked out the dark window and cried softly in her seat. 

 

Now that her friend were in danger, things were changing. She truly felt trapped. 

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
